it's not just scongress1234, Austin traffic really IS bad! :)

[clockwise5]

Originally Posted by AustinGuy

I so, so agree with this. I've lived and worked all over the country, and I've never lived in a place that has light lengths as bad as Austin. It seems as if the lights in Austin have no sensors to determine when cars are waiting.

I found it annoying how eager the city council is to install red light cameras when they haven't taken the time to install more modern lights with better timing and sensors. How much time have Austinites wasted waiting at lights during off peak hours when there is no traffic for miles the other way?

Just because I said Austin traffic can't be compared with LA/Chicago/NYC, didnt mean it was good, or couldn't be improved....compared to mid-sized cities, it is by far the worst for its size...as I mentioned, other mid sized cities like Indy have compete loops, with no tolls, around their entire metros, per freeways.....even San Antonio has this....this disjunct of beginning and ending all over, like spaghetti, not only confuses, but cuts off flow....per its size, the Austin metro is by FAR the worst for a metro of 1.5 million, and should only be judged on those merits.......There is no proper flow for their main arterial streets....as I said, I've spent 8-10 minutes just waiting for lights getting on expressway exits, or off them...signage is poor too, not to mention the confusion of freeway-tollway dovetailing......

Simply, it was poorly planned, and could have been far better......seems like it was put together in bits and pieces, with no one having a coherent comprehension of the whole.......Does that mean Austin is awul itself...hell no, its a great place....just means that the traffic patterns and road design, from interstates to arterial streets, are about as poorly designed and executed as could be imagined, and, actually COULD have a very negative impact on Austin's quality of life itself if we have 3-4 more years of the same growth.....

[clockwise5]

Originally Posted by shaxs

Same experience here. I live in San Diego and the 5, 805, 8 east 163 north ect are ALL awful. Austin was not nearly as bad the time we were there.

Again, Southern Cal has the worst freeway traffic in the nation, so comparing it to Austin is the same as comparing a cities pollution to Mexico City.......any metro in the USA shy of a handful of major metros is better than southern cal traffic.......God, I would HOPE that Austin traffic didn't compare to southern cals.....pretty sad if it did compare, as that would de facto make it the worst in the nation, along with the LA-San Diego corridor.

[rddsnurse]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

I traffic in 1980 was NOTHING compared to the traffic in 1940. It's relative. It's human to complain. And it's an Austin thing, one I'm real proud of, that we're friendly, we take things in stride and we don't bully other people. Right?

Lived there starting in 1990, and by the time I left Traffic had doubled and construction was the worst I had ever seen. Of course I moved from a two horse town in the panhandle and had no idea of what a city was. Now I live in Houston area and make sure to travel the other way from traffic. Looking to making fun excursions to Austin just to relive the great Austin atmosphere. It is unlike anywhere in the world and if traffic is there, well it is great too, just to be near the people. Rock on Austin. Keep Austin WEird, Go Leslie!!!!!!

[pbnj07]

Having lived in and visited other US cities, I have to say Austin traffic is not great (downright awful at times), but to its credit, I've never seen a city with such a commitment to improving its road infrastructure as I've seen here.

Maybe the planning could have been better, but you have to admit, there's been lots of improvement in recent years and the CapMetro rail service will only improve things.

[readymade]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

austin has a funky odor to it and traffic isn't that terrible it is the drivers that are dangerous, funky, rude, and have awful driving skills.

It's weird that I just read this tonight because earlier, as my husband & I were going through the stench that leads our local Barnes & Noble (and the PetSmart, and the Linens & Things), I said to him "I can't wait to be in Austin... where it don't stank!" and he agreed.